Loves Me, Loves Me Not
by kdsch123
Summary: Chloe Sullivan tries to decide between Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen. CHLARK, Chlimmy Prequel to The 2:00 a.m. Booty Call Plot.
1. Chapter 1

"Loves Me, Loves Me Not"

by Denise (kdsch123)

PG, possible spoilers for Season 6

Character Study, Chlark, Chlimmy

Summary: Chloe Sullivan seeks answers while trying to decide between Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen.

"_Loves Me, Loves Me Not"…**Damn**…._

The friendly little flower met a messy end. Chloe looked down at the pile of white petals on the desk, and at the velvety yellow middle bobbing on it's green stem in her hand. A messy end and no answers given. "So much for your powers as a fortune teller." She said, sweeping the petals from the desk and into the trash in one fluid motion. There were eleven more chances for an answer sitting in a white glass vase. Bought with the original purpose of brightening up her desk in the basement of The Daily Planet, the daisies were now Chloe's oracles, cheery sacrifices to her need to know. Chloe reached over and took a flower from the vase, thinking about Clark. If she let herself think about it, the kiss she and Clark shared not five steps from this very desk was still there on her lips, she still could feel the pressure of his lips on hers. If she closed her eyes she could feel his arms around her, and it made her tremble. Chloe twirled the daisy in her hand, thinking of all the times Clark had held her in his arms, looked into her eyes or brushed away hair from her face. How many times had his broad shoulders been between me and disaster, Chloe asked herself, pulling the petals from her latest victim, chanting the words in her head.

"_Loves Me, Loves Me Not, Loves Me.…."_

Moments that came back to her in dreams, things that may have happened when she wasn't herself, passionate kisses, the warmth of Clark's body and his scent, things he said didn't happen or dismissed with a shy smile and kind words. So much of her young life had been spent loving Clark, that it was hard to see it any other way. Learning his secret, protecting him, caring about him. Time invested, loving him when other girls had turned his head, weeping for him when Alicia died, counseling him through his relationship with Lana. Had it been wrong to take a step back after that crazy Thursday when the world shifted on it's axis and Clark actually kissed her back and looked at her like he was seeing her for the first time? How could wanting to be sure that his eyes were shining for her be a bad thing? She looked down at the desk, and at the petal in her hand. Was that a "loves me" or a "loves me not"? Chloe pulled out daisy out of the vase, while the frenzy of the Daily Planet went on around her. Thinking about Clark was a sure way for her train of thought to completely jump the tracks and veer off into a pretty dreamland where Clark was just as crazy about her as Chloe was for him. It wasn't that he hadn't given her those clues, either. Some place deep down inside of him, Chloe was sure that Clark loved her desperately, but deep down inside didn't do a damn bit of good if it didn't get up to the surface to live a little. But she would gladly turn herself inside out for him, if he asked her to. It was just part of who Chloe was, and she thanked God daily that Clark wasn't the kind of person to take advantage of that.

Something Grandmother Sullivan had always told her came to mind, as Chloe began peeling the petals from this flower.

"It's always good when a man is a little more in love with you than you are with him." Remembering Grandmother Sullivan's soft brogue made Chloe smile. Grandfather Sullivan had been an object lesson in that idea. Chloe thought about that, remembering how Grandfather carefully carried a cup of strong Irish tea to her Grandmother every morning before the day got started, how he'd sing "Annie Laurie" to her as they washed dishes together, and how every year, on a day that meant something to both of them and the rest of the family wondered about, a bunch of daisies would miraculously appear on the well scrubbed kitchen table. Chloe so wished she could ask why those daisies would show up, but both of her grandparents were gone now, and Gabe was sweetly clueless about his parents love life. Lois had no idea either, but she and Chloe would often try to decipher the story from remembered clues, and their stories were probably more wild and unbelievable than those two sweet people from Galway would have believed. Or maybe not.

"Loves Me, Loves Me Not, Loves Me, Loves Me Not…" 

Then, there was Jimmy Olsen. She'd be lying if she said seeing him appear through the doorway that day after what seemed like moments since Clark left her had given her a thrill that jolted her down to her socks. Jimmy, a fresh and simple and open as the flower in her hand, and yes, he was crazy about her. There was no ignoring that. They had shared something very special that during that summer internship, and Chloe had been mature enough at the time to realize that you didn't always spend the rest of your life with the person you shared your 'first time' with. The funny thing was, that was a long time ago, and she and Jimmy seemed to be in a different place, he was the one that was now seeking her out, would settle for what she was willing to give him and no more, insecure around Clark, but not enough to hold back what he thought or how he felt. Chloe could appreciate that kind of honesty. Jimmy Olsen was definitely more interested in Chloe than she was in him. So a plus on the Grandmother Sullivan scale of love. And, Chloe always laughed so much when she and Jimmy were together. There was no problem larger than what movie to see or what kind of ice cream to try, and something very reassuring in being with Jimmy, a reminder that normal was nice. Well, unless she had to defibrillate him save him from alien seed pods, but really, that could happen to anyone. Chloe looked up, and through the glass partition, she could see Jimmy at work, studying pictures he'd taken. He was much more slender than Clark, and his red hair always made Chloe smile, just as his earnest blue eyes never seemed to ask for more than a smile from her. The glass kept him from feeling her eyes on him, and Chloe was glad he didn't turn around. She dropped her eyes back down to the desk, and smiled down at the piles of white petals. There was two daisies left in the vase, and Chloe laughed at herself as she swept the loose petals into the garbage can.

"Hey." Clark's voice made her look up. He grinned, holding a white paper bag out to her. "Brought you some lunch." He looked down at the snowdrift of daisy petals in the garbage pail and frowned. "Problem with your flowers?"

"Um…thanks." Chloe smiled back, taking the bag. "No, not really. What brings you to Metropolis?"

"Just thought I'd stop by, see how you were doing." Clark reached out and touched the daisies. "Listen, Chlo', I wanted to…"

"Hey, Chloe." Jimmy appeared beside Clark. "Ready to go with me to City Hall for the Mayor's press conference? We can get lunch on the way…oh, hi, CK."

"Hi." Clark said. "Well, you're busy, Chloe..I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Yeah, Clark, I'm so sorry." Chloe picked up her purse and grabbed the lunch Clark had brought her. "I'll eat this at City Hall. Thanks." She walked away, feeling Clark's eyes on her and wishing it was all somehow easier, that the choice would simply make itself. All through the press conference, Chloe found herself wondering what it was that had brought Clark to Metropolis to talk to her, what had inspired him to bring her lunch. There was no time to call him right then, but Chloe promised herself she would.

Later, when Chloe got back to the Daily Planet, she found one daisy in the vase and the petals from it's companion on her desk, the yellow center resting on the bed they made peacefully. One petal sat alone, apart from the others, and Chloe picked it up and stared at it for a long time, before she grabbed her bag and her cell phone to head out the door.

"Loves Me, Loves Me Not, Loves Me…" 


	2. Chapter 2

"Loves Me, Loves Me Not, Loves Me…" 

Chloe stopped herself in the main lobby of The Daily Planet and shook her head. Still clutching the flower petal, Chloe took out her phone and dialed Clark's number. It rang until the voicemail picked up, and Chloe hung up without leaving a message. The whole thing was crazy, after all, Chloe thought, what were the chances that Clark's daisy had ended with "loves me"? And that he was glad about it? She turned around and walked back to the stairs to the basement. Standing at the top of the stairs, Chloe could not bring herself to go down them.

"Chloe?" She heard Jimmy's voice and she looked down at him. He was standing on the landing between the basement and the first floor, and Chloe felt her heart melt a little. "You okay?" Jimmy walked up the rest of the steps, and put his hands on her shoulders. His hands were so slender, long fingered and nimble. Chloe remembered teasing him during their summer internship about having piano hands and Jimmy had obliged her by playing "Heart and Soul" badly on the electric keyboard he'd brought from home. Even then, Jimmy had a knack for making her laugh. She raised her eyes to his and smiled weakly. Hurting him would not be an easy thing to do, and Chloe wasn't even sure it would be the right thing to do. The solution was simple. She wouldn't hurt him now.

"I think so." Chloe said, and Jimmy nodded, sliding his hands down her shoulders to her hands. "I guess I'm just tired."

"Yeah. It's not an easy commute back and forth from Smallville." Jimmy squeezed her hands and let them go. "You sure that's all it is?"

"Why?" Chloe asked, and Jimmy sighed.

"Well, there are ten shredded daisies in your garbage can and one on your desk. If I had to give that picture a title, I'd call it "Daisy Murder" or "Loves Me, Loves Me Not.", but that's just me." Jimmy smiled a little, and Chloe realized that she had already managed to hurt him.

"Jimmy, I…"Chloe began to protest, and he shook his head, lifting her hand up in his own. The last petal of Clark's daisy was still there in her hand.

"You didn't come looking for me in the darkroom, Brighteyes." Jimmy said sadly. "I'm no rocket scientist, but it's pretty clear to me that that last petal wasn't about me."

"It's not." Chloe admitted. "It wasn't even my daisy, I mean, it was, but I didn't pull it apart." Jimmy frowned, trying to understand and Chloe sighed. "I think Clark did it after you and I left for City Hall."

"I didn't peg CK for the sentimental type." Jimmy mused. "So, let me understand. You think he did this, as a message?"

"I don't know. I mean, I think so. I'm so pathetic all of a sudden. Jimmy, I'm so, so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you at all." Chloe told Jimmy and he nodded.

"I didn't think that at all. I know that you'd never hurt me on purpose." His voice was low. "And I know that you do have some kind of feelings for me. It's not just friendship, either." Chloe looked up at Jimmy in surprise, and he smiled. "I don't take my concerns out on daisies. I have a silver dollar that my Uncle Lars gave me. I flip it." Jimmy took the silver dollar out of his pocket and placed it in Chloe's palm. "Go ahead. Heads, you go for pizza with me. Tails, you find CK and talk to him about the daisy. Either way, you win."

"Serious?" Chloe smiled, and Jimmy nodded.

"You think I'm crazy? I'd rather keep you as my friend than have you break up with me after a few more weeks or months because I'm not CK. Go ahead. Uncle Lars' dollar is never wrong." Jimmy's eyes widened. "What are you waiting for?"

Chloe clasped the silver dollar in her hand and pulled in her bottom lip. She tossed the coin in the air and it went up, up and then came down fast, back in her palm with a slap. She gripped it in her fist and looked up at Jimmy. He was holding his breath, and Chloe slowly opened her hand. Everything was black. She heard Jimmy breathe in deeply and then laugh.

"You can't see your answer with your eyes closed, Chloe." He said, still laughing. "Open your eyes."

The coin was on Tails.

"Oh my God." Chloe looked up at him in a mild panic. "What do I do?"

"I say you get in your car and drive to Smallville." Jimmy replied gently. "Straighten it all out with CK and then…" He smiled a little and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "If he doesn't feel the way you think he might, I'm here."

"I can't leave you waiting." Chloe decided. "It's wrong and it hurts. Thank you, Jimmy. You've been a good friend and you deserve better than that." She handed him back his silver dollar. "I've got to go."

"Drive safely." Jimmy said as Chloe hurried away. He watched her go, and flipped his coin. Heads, she'd come back, Tails…well, tails was a whole other thing. Jimmy caught the coin, but didn't look at it. He slid the dollar piece into his pocket. He didn't need Uncle Lars' lucky dollar to tell him what was going to happen. Chloe's face had already done that. Jimmy Olsen shrugged a little and made his way back down the stairs to the photography lab.

Chloe took a deep breath once she got through the Daily Planet's revolving door and looked up. It was only four o'clock. If she got gas first, she'd make it to Smallville by seven….then her phone rang. Heart racing, Chloe looked down at the display and grinned. _Lois._

"Okay, I called your desk at The Planet and you weren't there. Big story?" Lois asked, and Chloe laughed.

"That totally depends on your definition of a 'big story'. If it's that I just broke up with Jimmy, then yes, huge story." Chloe bit her lip, refraining from telling Lois the rest, that she was planning to go see Clark. That part of the story would have to wait until after Chloe spoke to him.

"You dumped the photographer?" Lois asked, surprised. "Why? You two were so cute together. Well, whatever the reason, it's perfect."

"Why?" Chloe had walked to her car, and her hand was on the door handle. Get in the car, Sullivan. Once she tells you her plan, you will not make Smallville tonight unless you are behind the wheel.

"We're going dancing. There's this great new place I just heard about. Come on, girl's night out, Chlo'. It's been forever." Lois wailed tauntingly, and Chloe sighed. "I promise, whatever you were going to do now, you can do tomorrow."

"I was going out to Smallville. I wanted to talk to Clark about…."Chloe began, as Lois' groaned on the other end of the line. 

"Chloe, he's only going to break your heart – he always does. Come out with me tonight. Forget him, forget the freckled photog. One night of fun before you plunge back into Clark Kent shadow mode." Lois insisted. "It'll be like old times. We never have fun together anymore. Tomorrow morning, if you still haven't come to your senses about Smallville, I'll drive you out there myself."

Chloe smiled. A night out with Lois sounded like a lot of fun, and taking a little time to clear her head before she spoke to Clark would be a better idea than running out to the farm now. Besides, Clark wasn't answering his cell. Chloe nodded. "Okay, Lois. I'll stay in town tonight. I'm all yours."

"You won't regret it." Lois said sagely. "Oooh, wait 'til you see the dresses I'm bringing with me. I found this sassy leather dress in Topeka of all places. You'll have to help me decide which I'm wearing. You do have something to wear, right?"

"I think I can manage." Chloe grinned. "Meet you at the dorms."

"I'm hailing a cab now." Chloe could hear Lois checking her watch. "The Met U dorms it is. This is going to be so much fun!!"

"Yeah." Chloe smiled, dismissing her mental picture of she and Clark on the farm at sunset reluctantly. Lois was right. It wasn't time to get hurt again. 

"_Loves Me, Loves Me Not, Loves Me…."_

Clark looked down at the wild daisy he had picked from the field on his way back from bringing the cows in. It was squattier and less symmetrical than the florist variety Chloe'd had on her desk earlier today. There were fewer petals, and Clark remembered when they were young, Lana had made chains of them and wore the garland in her dark hair. How long ago was that? He smiled, looking down at the flower. Daisies were never Lana's flower. Daisies were Chloe's, happy and open and honest. It seemed a terrible tragedy to even pull away one of the white petals, but Clark did anyway. It was like the one he'd left on Chloe's desk. He hadn't meant to pull even a single petal free, but one had fallen away when he'd run his fingers around the center. And in his mind, he heard the words, "Loves Me" as if dropped to the green blotter on Chloe's desk. When he'd pulled the last petal away, and the words "Loves Me Not…" echoed there, and Clark realized he'd been a fool for even thinking it could be possible Chloe still cared about him in the way he'd finally realized he cared for her. She didn't call him 'Big Dumb Alien' for nothing, Clark thought, walking back to the house with the daisy in his hand. He'd put it in water and it would make his mother happy when she got home from Topeka tonight. Clark whistled for Shelby, who bounded out of the empty cornfield and toward the house. Clark looked down at the wild daisy in his hand and counted the petals that were left. Sighing, he made his way into the house and put the little flower in a water filled glass. Clark laughed at himself. He wasn't a fool. He was a prize idiot.

Clark looked at the daisy again. No, this time, now that Jimmy was in the picture, Clark would have to let things happen on their own. The most important thing was that Chloe was happy. If Jimmy was the one that made her happy, then Clark would live with that. His mother's car pulled into the driveway, and Martha Kent appeared in the doorway, kicking off shoes and sifting through the stack of mail in the basket near the door. Clark and Shelby came to greet her and Martha smiled

"There you are!" Marha sighed, with relief. "I was trying to call you on your cell all afternoon!"

"Did you?" Clark fished it out of his pocket. "Battery's dead." He grinned sheepishly and allowed his mother to kiss him on the cheek and rumple his already unruly dark hair. "I'll put it on it's charger later."

"I'm just glad you're alright." Martha smiled. "So, you off someplace tonight?"

"No." Clark replied thoughtfully, shaking off the temptation to go see Chloe in Metropolis. "I'm home."

Martha nodded and smiled up at her son. "Feel like hanging around with your old mother tonight? I'm exhausted, but I feel like I never see you."

"That sounds like a great idea, Mom." Clark smiled. A quiet night at home was exactly what he needed. They had walked together into the kitchen and Clark's eye fell on the wild daisy in the jelly glass. The petals called out to him, but he counted them and recited the rhyme in his head again. The answer didn't matter anymore.

"_Loves me, Loves me not, Loves me, Loves me not, Loves me…."_


End file.
